Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle.

Chapter 244 Professor's Pre-School Shopping

“I know this sounds suspicious. You’ve been undisturbed in the Gauntlet for fifty years, and suddenly a strange wizard appears and asks you about Dementors. But it’s all true. I’m an ally of the future Voldemort, and we can even share the secret of immortality. Compared to Horcruxes, Dementors are nothing.”

"Let me think, let me think again..." Riddle's mind was in turmoil.

"You still don't trust me. Why do you think I research those disgusting dark creatures? It's all because I want to resurrect you."

"That's not what I meant. I just haven't gotten used to this news yet. It's all so sudden, and I need time to process it."

“Of course you have time to think it over, after you tell me the secrets of the Dementors, such as… how to make them obey commands…” Melvin uttered words that were difficult to verify, his shrewd businessman nature stirring within him.

Why does it have to be a Dementor?

“Because they are the guards of Azkaban, and they are responsible for watching over the Death Eater servants who tortured you.” Melvin coaxed and cajoled, giving Riddle almost no time to think. “After your downfall, the Death Eaters split into two groups. One group consists of cunning opportunists who claim to have been controlled by you with the Imperius Curse to escape trial, and the other group consists of loyal believers who firmly believe that you will return sooner or later and be imprisoned in Azkaban to be tortured.”

"How dare they, how dare they..."

"Voldemort's remnant soul is missing, and you, with your fragmented soul, are still hesitating. How long do you intend to stall?"

Riddle's eyes darted around, and he felt his heart pounding in his illusory body. This wizard, who claimed to be an ally, knew about Horcruxes and the curse on Gaunt's ring—secrets known only to him…

He finally made up his mind and said through gritted teeth, "It's Legilimency. Dementors are very special. They have physical bodies but are not affected by magic because their bodies are hollow and have no soul. They can only absorb the emotions and memories of others to fill the void."

Melvin's eyes flickered slightly: "Explain in more detail."

Riddle recounted his encounter with Dementors that summer.

He remembered that summer when, after uncovering the mystery of his origins, he infiltrated Hangleton, murdered the Muggle Riddle family, and framed Morfin Gaunt. But instead of leaving immediately, he stayed in Great Hangleton to study dark magic, explore the possibility of creating multiple Horcruxes, and admire his own masterpieces.

His scheme completely outmaneuvered the law enforcement. The Muggle police couldn't find the cause of death and randomly arrested a gardener to talk back, only to be stopped by the arriving Aurors and ultimately released without charge. The Aurors, however, discovered that the Muggle family died from the Killing Curse and quickly identified Morfin as the suspect.

In response to this notorious and criminally charged dark wizard, strikers and Dementors were dispatched to capture him.

That's when Riddle came into contact with Dementors. These dark creatures can appear during the day and cannot be observed by Muggles. They have tall, thin bodies draped in cloaks and appear with a chilling mist. The flames and light that ordinary dark creatures fear are completely ineffective against them; only the Patronus Charm can drive them away.

They are beings that are almost immortal.

Riddle was extremely interested in this creature, but unfortunately, he was a pure black wizard with no happy memories and no effective means to control it.

The Dementors didn't want to mess with him either. His evil, twisted, and indifferent soul, devoid of joy, was utterly repulsive to the Dementors who survived by absorbing emotions and memories.

This unexpected balance gave Riddle the opportunity to come into contact with Dementors and begin a series of experiments.

"In fact, Fiendfire can also drive away Dementors, but this kind of magic is too loud and easy to get out of control, and it will also arouse the hatred of Dementors. Later, I tried to torture Dementors with the Unforgivable Curse and then use Legilimency to read their consciousness."

"Thanks to Lady Luck, I have found the right way."

For Riddle, inside the Gaunt Ring, this was his most recent memory, which he spoke of with great pride: “Dementors are dark creatures born of despair and pain. They can make sounds in their throats, but they do not communicate in this way. They communicate with each other in groups using a cold mist as a medium, in a way similar to mind control. I use this method to read their thoughts and convey my commands to them.”

“It’s…unbelievable,” Melvin couldn’t help but exclaim.

Riddle's talent in dark magic rivaled that of Helbo and Slytherin in history, but unfortunately, the split soul and dark magic modifications damaged his mind, leaving him no choice but to fall into Dumbledore's trap.

“I’ve seen Aurors from the Ministry of Magic talking to Dementors from afar. They were chattering away in English with a London accent and making random hand gestures. What a bunch of idiots. They actually thought Dementors could understand human language and gestures.”

Riddle scoffed dismissively, "Actually, it's a half-finished creature bred by wizards, even dumber than the watchdogs kept by old country wizards. It only relies on its almost innate instinct to perceive the intentions of those Aurors."

"The Aurors of Azkaban certainly didn't study Dementors much."

Melvin nodded thoughtfully, surprised that the cooperation between the Ministry of Magic and the Dementors was achieved in this way.

The ability to legitimize is a rare talent for wizards, but it is a magical ability that flows in the bloodlines of many magical creatures, such as the Invisible Beast, the Eccentric Longhorn Water Serpent, and a few Sphinxes.

"I've already told you how to tame the Dementors, Mr. Levent. What should we do next? Rescue the servants trapped in Azkaban, then search for the missing remnants of the souls, and let the real Voldemort return?"

Riddle spoke with a tentative tone.

Melvin paused for a moment, sensing the unfinished meaning in his words, and looked at those eyes that were originally dark brown, now showing a hint of blue-gray under the silver mist.

The young Tom Riddle was ambitious and cunning. After learning about the Wizarding Wars, he didn't actually want to resurrect the defeated Voldemort. Now he was trying to find another way, centered on himself and the soul fragment in Gaunt's ring.

Not the future Voldemort.

Melvin smiled faintly, a few trivial thoughts surfacing in his mind. He was somewhat expectant, but had not yet formed a complete plan.

"We still need to wait for the right opportunity. I need to gather some information, Tom, my friend. I think you also need time to sort out your thoughts. Let's talk in detail next time we meet, what do you think?"

"Looking forward to seeing you next time."

Riddle bowed slightly and tipped his hat, his illusory figure dissipating into fragments of light.

Melvin suddenly understood the feelings of Hogwarts professors in that era. Such an excellent student, gentle and polite, could also keenly understand the professor's thoughts, maintain distance, know when to advance and retreat without getting entangled, and do everything just right.

"How did it happen that it damaged your brain..."

……

Diagon Alley's Magical Zoo.

"Squeak..."

"Cuckoo..."

The sounds of animals squeaking and shouting filled my ears.

This is a very crowded pet store. The shelves are dirty and messy, and all kinds of animals are making a lot of noise. The air is filled with an indescribable smell. Whenever a customer walks past the cages, it will startle a commotion of chickens and dogs flying everywhere.

A plump purple toad teases a half-dead fly, a tortoise with jewels inlaid in its hard shell basks in the sun by the window, brightly colored snails crawl slowly, and there are cats of various colors, noisy ravens, and black mice with smooth fur.

The shop owner, a witch wearing thick-rimmed black glasses, was introducing several black cats to a customer from the countryside: "Don't let their small size fool you; they're excellent guard cats, with some cat-like blood, even better than swallowtail dogs. Plus, they're not controlled animals, making them very easy to keep." "I can't see any cat-like blood; they do look a bit like vixens..."

The customer was an expert; he managed to negotiate the price down in just a few words, then picked up the cage and left.

Finally, it was the young wizard's turn, who had been waiting for a few minutes. When the shopkeeper saw Melvin's young and handsome face, his smile immediately warmed up: "Sir, what would you like to buy? A clever raven or a long-lived tortoise? This new batch of toads is also quite good."

"I don't want to buy pets, I want to buy animal supplies."

"Then you've come to the right place. There's no more professional shop in Diagon Alley than our Amazing Zoo." The shopkeeper grinned from ear to ear. "What would you like to buy? Pet food, cat trees, skin cream for toads to shed their skin?"

"I need a professional, non-marking, stretchable pet carrier to store a medium-sized pet. It needs to be airtight and ideally completely block out magic and odors."

After hearing Melvin's request, the shopkeeper's smile faded, and his eyes became somewhat suspicious: "Sir, the Unseen Extension Charm is a controlled item of the Ministry of Magic. You need to register and explain your reason for purchasing it."

"I am a professor at Hogwarts, and I am here to store some special teaching materials."

The shopkeeper immediately lowered his guard; the Hogwarts name was a powerful asset throughout the wizarding world. "That's fine then. Take a look at these suitcases... Professor, could you tell me what kind of animals they're for? I'd like to recommend some."

"Childhood Troll".

The witch immediately showed an expression of admiration: "Then it is indeed necessary to isolate the smell."

"The juvenile troll I'm preparing is a swamp troll, which isn't well-suited to the climate of the Scottish Highlands. It needs to be well-sealed, ideally completely isolated from external magic."

"Don't worry, our Amazing Zoo is a professional."

After some haggling, Melvin finally purchased a top-of-the-line magical creature containment box for 400 Galleons, which could be used to smuggle items and pass the border checks of most countries' Ministries of Magic.

"By the way, do you offer Pegasus rental services?"

"There are some!"

The pet shop owner, having just closed a big deal, was exceptionally enthusiastic towards Melvin. "We have Glalings and Thestrals, both exceptionally well-trained horses, suitable for riding throughout Britain. Once the lease expires, they can be released on the spot and will return to the shop themselves... Which one do you prefer?"

"Thestrals, they're well-hidden."

"Come with me. Pegasus is kept in the backyard. You can move it after signing the contract."

"How long does the professor need to rent it for?"

"About a day and a half."

"The lease expires on the evening of September 1st. Is that acceptable to you?"

"How much is the rent?"

"60 Galleons a day, 90 Galleons a day and a half."

"Sign the contract."

The witch was overjoyed to have closed another big deal, and she couldn't stop smiling.

Almost all the shops in Diagon Alley have backyards, which are not very spacious. The pet shop has been enchanted with a Stretch-through spell to house some of the larger magical animals. It has been divided into stables, cattle and sheep pens, and a pond... The Gralling and the Thestrals are in the stables.

After putting the chosen Thestral into his suitcase, he ran into Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Bastian as he came out of the backyard.

They were gathered around a cage of a fat white rabbit that could transform, constantly switching between a top hat and its real body, making loud popping sounds that made the four of them's eyes sparkle.

Upon seeing Melvin and the pet shop owner, all four of them widened their eyes.

"Professor Lewinter!"

Melvin was also somewhat surprised, "What are you doing here?"

“I’m buying things from the back-to-school list.” Hermione held up Bastian’s little hand. “My mom and dad and Ron’s mom and dad are drinking at the pub, so I brought her to Diagon Alley.”

"The issues of identity and student status have been resolved."

“She’s Bastian Granger now!” Hermione nodded with some pride, then began to complain, “When we were applying to schools for her a while ago, even I had to go to the interviews. We went to several places, and our whole family was kept very busy.”

The little girl couldn't help but grin.

Melvin approached and ruffled the girl's hair, sensing her physical condition: "The mutated magic is still slowly increasing, but it's relatively stable overall, and there shouldn't be any problems in the short term."

Hermione wanted to ask about the treatment, but the occasion wasn't appropriate, so she pursed her lips and remained silent.

Turning to the two boys beside him, Ron held up the trembling mouse in his hand: "We're here to get Spotty treated. Ever since I brought it back from Egypt, it's been a little unwell."

The bald, battered rat, with its torn ears and missing toes, huddled in a ball and trembling, was nothing compared to the glossy, slick rats in the cage.

"Poor Spot, I wonder what happened to it?" Ron sighed.

Melvin clicked his tongue. What's wrong? Of course, he's feeling guilty, worried about being confronted by his old friends, now enemies.

The shop owner took the mouse, examining it as he muttered, "It's suffered a lot. Don't expect a mouse this age to be lively and energetic for another three to five years."

Harry wasn't too concerned about the mouse; he was more interested in the upcoming new school term and the Special Express train tomorrow morning.

"Professor Levent, when are you returning to school? Hermione and Ron are also spending the night at the Leaky Cauldron. Tomorrow we're taking the Ministry of Magic's official car to King's Cross Station. Would you like to come with us?"

"No, you guys go ahead, I have other things to do."

Melvin picked up the suitcase, shook it twice, and revealed a gentle smile.

He had all his tools ready and was just waiting to follow the express train tomorrow to catch the lost Dementors.

(End of this chapter)